Incubation Patch Fluctuations in Red-Winged Blackbirds

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Abstract
Incubation patch tissues were collected from female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) throughout pre-breeding, breeding, prolonged incubation and post-breeding seasons to discover morphological changes affecting reproductive behavior. Changes in stratum germinativum cell layers and thickness, dermis thickness, edema, fat cells, smooth muscle, number and size of blood vessels and relative surface area of blood vessels occurred between the time females arrived at the breeding areas in spring until egg-laying. Feather loss began before egg-laying in most females and was usually complete by day 1 of incubation. During normal incubation, the stratum germinativum and the dermis of the incubation patch thickened, while the blood vessels increased in size and number. Throughout prolonged incubation, the incubation patch tissues declined only after the time when they would have functioned in brooding.

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